Powder bin for additive manufacturing system

Abstract

A powder bin for an additive manufacturing apparatus has a plurality of walls forming an annular body to surround a build plate. The plurality of walls include an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall that are separated by a cavity, and a gap between a top edge of the inner wall and a top edge of the outer wall is configured to receive powder between the top edges of the outer walls and the inner walls. The annular body has an aperture that extends laterally through the inner wall and outer wall. A base is connected to a bottom edge of the outer wall and a bottom edge of the inner wall, and the base includes one or more ports. A sloped barrier is positioned in the cavity configured to direct powder around the aperture to the one or more ports in the base.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A powder bin for an additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of walls forming an annular body to surround a build plate of the additive manufacturing apparatus, the plurality of walls including an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall that are separated by a cavity, wherein a gap between a top edge of the inner wall and a top edge of the outer wall is configured to receive powder between the top edges of the outer wall and the inner wall, and wherein the annular body has an aperture that extends laterally through the inner wall and outer wall; 
 a base connected to a bottom edge of the outer wall and a bottom edge of the inner wall, wherein the base includes one or more ports; and 
 a sloped barrier in the cavity configured to direct powder around the aperture to the one or more ports in the base. 
 
     
     
       2. The powder bin of  claim 1 , wherein one or more projections configured to break up a turbulent flow of powder extend from at least one of the plurality of walls inwardly into the cavity. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the annular body is a rectangular body. 
     
     
       4. The powder bin of  claim 3 , wherein the annular body has a first pair of apertures through a first face of the rectangular body and a second pair of apertures through an opposite second face of the rectangular body. 
     
     
       5. The powder bin of  claim 4 , wherein the first pair of apertures and the second pair of apertures are parallel linear slots. 
     
     
       6. The powder bin of  claim 3 , wherein the one or more ports comprise four ports positioned at four corners of the rectangular body. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the annular body is a cylindrical body. 
     
     
       8. The powder bin of  claim 1 , wherein the aperture comprises a linear slot. 
     
     
       9. The powder bin of  claim 8 , wherein the barrier forms a curved slope. 
     
     
       10. The powder bin of  claim 8 , wherein the barrier forms a linear slope. 
     
     
       11. The powder bin of  claim 1 , further comprising a vacuum source connected to the ports. 
     
     
       12. A powder bin assembly for an additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of walls forming an annular body to surround a build plate of the additive manufacturing apparatus, the plurality of walls including an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall that are separated by a cavity, wherein a gap between a top edge of the inner wall and a top edge of the outer wall is configured to receive powder between the top edges of the outer wall and the inner wall, and wherein and annular body has an aperture that extends laterally through the inner wall and outer wall; 
 a support structure including an inner structure positioned within an interior of the powder bin assembly and a strut that extends through the aperture and is moveable in the aperture; and 
 a flexible band seal configured to slide through a channel in the support structure as the support structure moves downward and to cover a portion of the aperture above the support structure. 
 
     
     
       13. The assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the annular body is a rectangular body. 
     
     
       14. The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the annular body has a first pair of apertures through a first face of the rectangular body and a second pair of apertures through an opposite second face of the rectangular body, and the powder bin comprises a plurality of flexible band seals with each band seal of the plurality to cover an associate aperture. 
     
     
       15. The assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the first pair of apertures and the second pair of apertures are parallel linear slots. 
     
     
       16. The assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the flexible band seal is a corrosion resistant materials. 
     
     
       17. The assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the flexible band seal includes a band of stainless steel, chrome, nickel, iron, copper, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, and/or titanium. 
     
     
       18. The assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the flexible band seal has multiple thin layers of different corrosion resistant materials. 
     
     
       19. The assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the channel passes between an inner structure and a strut of the support structure. 
     
     
       20. The assembly of  claim 19 , wherein the channel is configured to press a portion of the flexible band seal above the support structure to lie flat against the inner wall. 
     
     
       21. The assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the aperture is a sealed passage through the body from the inner wall to the outer wall.